Prospect Info: At 16th Overall the Calgary Flames Select Juuso Valimaki

[Kahvi]

1+1 today in a 4-1 win so 8 points in 7 games. 5th in Liiga scoring, league leading (tie with few others) +7 in 7 games.

Petri Kontiola (few NHL games, solid 11 year KHL career) is the leading scorer with 10 points in 7 games. Some bum called Puljujärvi is 6th in scoring, 7 points in 5 games.

Also Ilves goalie with 5 games looks like the best goalie so far with 95,24SV% and 1,4 GAA, and Ilves is currently 2nd in Liiga

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

I think he’s the next Lindstrom.

Button predicted he will be like Gio...
Gio is in a tier of old ass NHL dmen that scored a ton of points, which includes Lindstrom...

Guys...

Lidstrom.

No 'n'

 

[Kahvi]

Ilves is playing back-to-back home games Friday and Saturday. Needs some planning but I think I'll try to make it work somehow so I can see both games.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Ilves is playing back-to-back home games Friday and Saturday. Needs some planning but I think I'll try to make it work somehow so I can see both games.

Excited to hear your thought Kahvi.

 

[Zub]

He's been very good, but don't buy any of the crazy hype if you see it because he hasn't been anything THAT special, but very nice what he can do with his size that is very valuable. I see his potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Why do you continue to underrate and belittle our best prospect?

No kidding.

Gustav Lindström at eliteprospects.com

 

[crackdown44]

He's been very good, but don't buy any of the crazy hype if you see it because he hasn't been anything THAT special, but very nice what he can do with his size that is very valuable. I see his potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

Lalalalalalala can’t hear you

 

[cheechoo]

He's been nothing but amazing.

He's been very good, but don't buy any of the crazy hype if you see it because he hasn't been anything THAT special

x, doubt

 

[Fig]

Guys...

Lidstrom.

No 'n'

... Lid?

No kidding.

Gustav Lindström at eliteprospects.com

Oh snap! We thought we've been praying to the hockey gods and Jobu for decks of dollars, but we've actually been asking the hockey gods for dozens of dimes!?!?

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I feel confident this kid will be in the HOF when it’s all said and done.

 

[Lepardi]

1+1 today in a 4-1 win so 8 points in 7 games. 5th in Liiga scoring, league leading (tie with few others) +7 in 7 games...

Also Ilves goalie with 5 games looks like the best goalie so far with 95,24SV% and 1,4 GAA, and Ilves is currently 2nd in Liiga

Dostal won the award for the best goalie in the league in 2019-20 and so far he's been even better this fall.

I've been following this team for 32 years and Välimäki is one of the best players I've ever seen playing for Ilves. Patrik Stefan (2004 lockout), Jyrki Lumme (1994 lockout) and Mika Nieminen are my top-3 and if Välimäki keeps playing like this, he's not far behind. Lumme had a decent NHL career and I firmly believe Stefan and Nieminen would have been good NHLers too without the injuries.

 

[Bounces R Way]

That's great he's doing well over in SM-liiga. But he should be, he's a 1st round NHL pick entering his D+4 season. Don't think it means all that much either way but very happy to hear it sounds like he's healthy.

Excited to get him back in the lineup. Wonder if he'll get any PP time this season. With Giordano getting up there I don't think it would hurt to try some of the younger D on the man advantage to manage his workload.
PP1

19		13
	23	28
	55

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Is the setup I'd like to see them tryout. Gaudreau is best in tight and so are Tkachuk and Monahan. So incredibly sick of Johnny on the left half wall. Hanifin has the edgework to walk the blueline effectively even if we haven't seen that too much from him yet.

PP2

17/88		11
	93
8		4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Something like this for PP2. Mostly runs through Backlund as the zone entry guy and Bennett, Lucic/Mangiapane as the net front guys. Jusso as the more mobile QB and Ras the one time option.

 

[Kahvi]

Overall a good game from Välimäki, 0+2 and +2 I think. Good passing and vision on offense, carried the puck a lot. Really nice 1st assist on the 3-1 goal. Next shift after that got hit in the boards and was feeling and stretching left knee on the bench for a while. Scary for a second, but didnt seem bad after all, didnt miss a shift. I think he was on ice for every Ilves goal (jumped on the ice maybe 2seconds before the 2nd goal).

Hard to say anything about defensive game, Ilves was clearly a better team tonight. One easy mistake, had a chance to clear the puck on PK but played it sloppy and "slapshot" didnt even leave own zone.

Didnt like: clear embellishment on PK at the last minute when he was exchanging crosschecks with Tappara forward (no penalties there).

Liked: chirping and waiwing goodbye to that same Tappara forward 10seconds later when Ilves scored empty net for 5-2 lead. Or actually they didnt score, Ilves forward was about to break free when Tappara Dman grapped and pulled him to ice. Goal to Ilves even though the puck was maybe 10 meters from the goal line

 

[Dack]

2nd in points in Liiga.


This assist was nice:

 

[Volica]

This kids a beauty.
Top 4 for sure in the NHL, some major upside.

 

[FerklundCGY]

He's been very good, but don't buy any of the crazy hype if you see it because he hasn't been anything THAT special, but very nice what he can do with his size that is very valuable. I see his potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

No one is claiming Valimaki is going to be some all time great (those who are are likely joking), but as a player who had tons of hype and potential already, to be getting called one of, if not the best player that has played for Ilves in the last 30+ years is certainly promising.

In fact, there's only been 2 defenseman 23 or under to average over a PPG in the Liiga over the last 20 years. One, of course, is Valimaki (1.25 PPG). The other... Erik Karlsson during the 2012-13 lockout (1.15 PPG), in which he was coming off a 78 point season in the NHL.

Now, no one is expecting anywhere near those types of offensive numbers from Valimaki, but it is fair to have lots of excitement for what he has the potential to become, which is quiiite a bit better than Lindell (although I've never been much of a fan of him).

 

[JPeeper]

I am fully expecting Valimaki to be slightly below the Makar/Heiskanen tier. So a #1, but not one of the top 5 in the league.

 

[User1996]

Funny how expectations change so quickly...a month ago people were concerned he wouldn’t be a top 4D because of his injury

 

[GumbyCan2]

It’s better than the AHL

Especially this season beginning there. So many more "home-boy stars" gone to ghe NHL back there during this Covid NHL reprieve period. Lots of Nhlers and high-end Euro prospects back home to start.
Glsd Vali is back on the ice playing, not just "skating". And doing very well. Bodes ×'ve for NHL next season start for tge Flames. Hope he "usurps" Hanifin for impirtant matchupsxand icetime. Would be hood for tesm all around!

 

[Ippenator]

He's been very good, but don't buy any of the crazy hype if you see it because he hasn't been anything THAT special, but very nice what he can do with his size that is very valuable. I see his potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

Well you obviously are very much undervaluing Esa Lindell then. Because he is really one of the best defensive defencemen in the whole NHL nowadays. And he has some quite nice offensive abilities for such a defence oriented defenceman. A better skating and more offensive defenceman than Lindell is an absolute elite defenceman in the NHL, so Calgary have an absolute diamond in their hands, if Välimäki will really become the kind of player that you are projecting him to become. I could see that really happen. I have liked very much what I have seen in Välimäki for a few years already.

 

[Zub]

Well you obviously are very much undervaluing Esa Lindell then. Because he is really one of the best defensive defencemen in the whole NHL nowadays. And he has some quite nice offensive abilities for such a defence oriented defenceman. A better skating and more offensive defenceman than Lindell is an absolute elite defenceman in the NHL, so Calgary have an absolute diamond in their hands, if Välimäki will really become the kind of player that you are projecting him to become. I could see that really happen. I have liked very much what I have seen in Välimäki for a few years already.

I am definatally not undervaluing Esa at all. Just think Juuso will be a similar defender like him but with more offensive upside but less defensive.

 

[Ippenator]

I am definatally not undervaluing Esa at all. Just think Juuso will be a similar defender like him but with more offensive upside but less defensive.

My point was that you said that people shouldn’t believe any hype, and then you after all say that Välimäki has the potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

So you are practically building the hype up yourself, as the better skating and more offensive minded Lindell means that he would be playing all situations and getting way over 20 minutes per night. And with the skills that Lindell has, would be a monster defensively.

A player with all this would be an absolute elite defenceman, which I could in fact see possible for Välimäki, if all goes really well for him. But he definitely can’t afford to have more of those serious injuries that he just recently recovered from

 

[Zub]

My point was that you said that people shouldn’t believe any hype, and then you after all say that Välimäki has the potential to be a better skating and more offensive minded Esa Lindell.

So you are practically building the hype up yourself, as the better skating and more offensive minded Lindell means that he would be playing all situations and getting way over 20 minutes per night. And with the skills that Lindell has, would be a monster defensively.

A player with all this would be an absolute elite defenceman, which I could in fact see possible for Välimäki, if all goes other for him. But he definitely can’t afford to have more of those serious injuries that he just recently recovered from

i said not to buy in to the CRAZY hype if anyone sees it, i don't understand where you are going with this.

 

[Ippenator]

i said not to buy in to the CRAZY hype if anyone sees it, i don't understand where you are going with this.

Well, I at least didn’t see anyone hype Välimäki more than you did with your better version of Lindell-projection. So it just seemed quite funny to me that you say to people that don’t believe the hype and then in the next sentence you yourself hype him more than anyone has been hyping him here after all. Not that I don’t see your projcetion maybe possible if everything goes really well for him from now on.

 

[Zub]

Well, I at least didn’t see anyone hype Välimäki more than you did with your better version of Lindell-projection. So it just seemed quite funny to me that you say to people that don’t believe the hype and then in the next sentence you yourself hype him more than anyone has been hyping him here after all. Not that I don’t see your projcetion maybe possible if everything goes really well for him from now on.

I've seen some people hype him way more than that i wouldn't have said so if i hadn't. Plus your overvaluing Lindell if anything tbh, he's defensively good but he's not as good as you portray him.